Complications
by ToxicTreacle
Summary: He didn't count on her being there; Shadow didn't expect her to be coincidentally stealing the emerald. And now, he has to do something. Something that he might possibly regret. Shadouge.
1. Chapter 1

**Complications**

**Part 1 of 3**

_**Discovery of Dying Devotion**_

He unhurriedly came to a halt as the building was in sight.

The square base stretched out before him, possessing turrets and weapons of different sizes. Its thick, grey walls were tall, seeming every moment like search towers in the sky, thickly clotting the clouds in a dark, dreary haze. Along the line, held the front of the military vicinity, was the observatory, and, most likely, above it, was a walkway, presenting dim illuminations that barely lit in the night. Multiple men strode about it, all dressed in their respective G.U.N uniforms, only few of them witnessing the intruder, keeping their guard up for possible penetrations. The moment the searchlight lit up the ice on his spot, guns were aimed.

'Cake.'

He smirked at the challenge, cracking his fists as he took a few, simple steps forward, ignoring the use of his skaters that melted the frosty floor.

Footsteps were all the foolish humans needed to commit hostility.

**BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG!**

Stray bullets fired front-wise in direction, causing sudden side-steps and dodging of the year. They followed in pursuit, never leaving his unique, flaming trail as it was born.

Crimson eyes flashed a look behind, seeing rocket-launchers firing and allowing multiple missiles to chase his every step. And, with that, he swerved to the side, avoiding one as it smashed into the ice, melting it severely as he shook his head in disgust.

He wasn't disgusted of nature being destroyed… oh, no. It was the fact that he was traveling on thin ice as it was.

Skaters stopped, skidding across the frozen liquid, and turning to face the incoming threats. They verged left, then right, finding them to be nothing but homing missiles.

'Humph. Seems they've thought this through… for once… Pity their intelligence will only go so far.'

A faint light crackled in his hands, as he silently mumbled two words, forming that of sharp stick, and eventually, a spear.

He forced it forwards, amazing the crowd watching, as it smacked bang into a missile, reducing it to a mere dusk cloud and ash.

Before he witnessed it being over, the small crack beneath him flicked and widened, trying to envelop the hedgehog into the watery, freezing depths of the water.

The dark frown on his muzzle showed he paid no mind.

He turned, kick-starting his hover-skates once more as the crack followed, slowly backed up by another projectile of persistence. His legs veered him different directions, trying to drive off the homing shot as the fissure absent-mindedly tracked him. Growls erupted as he turned sharply to the right, pushing himself up a ramp, which bent in a circular way, leading him back to the ground. The missile trailed him, heading towards his red streaks and to the opened crack below.

Before it could do so, however, the hedgehog recalled his hand in mid-air, yanking out a green emerald from his quills. A moment passed, and it glistened faintly before blinding him.

"**Chaos… CONTROL!"**

And then, the humans saw no more of the wanted hedgehog.

**s-S-s**

"Hm…"

The woman placed a white, gloved finger on her chin, which formed a small, sophisticated smirk. Her eyelashes batted mischievously at the glass, blue orbs peering at the object with admiration and lust.

Her brow lowered to her eyes, as they scanned the panel below, seeing numerous buttons about it.

"Trying to lock me out, now, are we?" she smiled. "Well, you can't lead a lady away from her treasure for long."

Her boots clattered along the floor as she stepped closer, inspected the glass, and then stepped backwards.

Observing wasn't such a bad idea, as represented by the big, obvious, neon, '**ALARMED**,' sign.

Rolling her eyes, she murmured several words to the amateurs that were attempting to hide things from her.

This was a pretty simple method for G.U.N… And despite her grip on wanting gems, she was still having difficulty restricting herself from them… especially since this was G.U.N she was taking from.

But didn't they practically owe her? Rings just weren't enough.

She wanted diamonds. She wanted gems. She wanted…

A Chaos Emerald.

A puckish smile formed bolder on her muzzle, as she took a few more boot-steps closer, hands on top of her cat suit as she leered at the mechanism. Her eyes rolled slightly to the side, playfully, as if eyeing the corridor behind her to which she had once entered.

'_Just a hold. Just a few more peeks. Maybe I'll just test out their system, and tell them how to fix security? Or, not…_'

Without hesitation, her fingers tapped the buttons quickly, already figuring out the password in one shot.

**PING!**

Her password?

***T-O-W-E-R-S. ***

The thief shrugged.

"Where's the challenge? You can't give a woman stale make-up." She sighed longingly, "I just don't get where all the creativity comes from, these days. They could at least make it more complicated."

She pouted childishly, bored.

"**It should be around here, somewhere…"**

At that voice, the bat-girl stopped. Her violet-charcoal-ish wings folded in, as she turned her head, sensitive ears pricking at the noise, which told her the suspect was a corridor away.

One thing about Rouge, she didn't like getting caught… unless she was feeling a bad-girl.

Today, she wanted to be a sensible one.

Adrenalin rushed through her veins, as she turned back to the emerald in front of her, red in color, grabbed it hastily, and looked up at the ceiling, scanning for a getaway.

"**INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT! CHAOS VICINITY BREACHED! ALERT! CHAOS VICINITY BREACHED!"**

Pupils dilated in blue irises, as red lights blared, and the bat turned heel, looking at a stack of boxes.

"Uh, oh. Time to get outta' here."

She dashed forward, climbing up them, and then, finally, reaching the peak. She looked up, seeing pipes and wires about. Above her, a vent made itself known, and flicked her features to that of determination. Her leg raised, then fell, until…

**BANG! CLATTER!**

She proudly smirked at the contraption as it fell numbly to the ground, its screws ripped out and not given any such mercy. She jumped, gripped the edge, and did a handstand to pull herself up swiftly, before landing in a crouch and seeing the ventilation system ahead of her.

She gave a look below, seeing if anyone was actually in the room, or following her.

Silence.

Except…

**Tap, tap, tap…**

Her ears perked at that noise, as she had heard it countless times before, though, she couldn't place it.

"What blasphemy is this?!" came a voice, dark and dripping with that evil characteristic. The voice was surprisingly deep, not that Rouge cared.

**Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap…**

'Whoever it is, they're getting closer to the Chaos Emerald stand…' Rouge mused to herself, self-righteous about the fact that she got the sacred gem, first.

"Someone's obviously been here before us, Doom," came another voice, this one dark, but mysterious; his tone was actually quite calm compared to the other's.

A groan. "I do not wish to hear you state the obvious, Shadow."

Her breath got caught. "S-S-Shadow…?"

She hadn't seen said hedgehog for weeks, possibly months. He'd just kept to himself so much lately, that he'd hidden himself totally. Rouge knew he had a hiding place somewhere, but the back of her head told her not to venture into it, else risk an angry hedgehog, not a calm one.

A silence dawned, and then, she heard two more footsteps.

She stayed there, reluctant to the fact that she should leave. Her head ducked slightly, and her eyes watched through the hole as jet shoes came into view.

Long legs.

Spiky tail.

Fluffy chest fur.

Black, flicked-up quills.

Crimson streaks.

…Blood red eyes.

She stopped dead then.

Blue and red eyes clashed, and then, the hedgehog realized just who she was.

Those eyes stared at her, coldly, and then, they narrowed.

And the lights… the red lights were still flashing, making both the figure's frightening stance and Rouge's want to leave much greater than before.

He stepped closer, arms by his side, until one rose to her being.

At first, she thought he was going to help her down, but even she knew Shadow wouldn't be such a gentlemen at times like this, especially with the alarms raging like mad.

His eyes moved down, slowly, towards the emerald in her hands.

Then, she realized what Shadow wanted.

The Chaos Emerald. He was the one after it. He _wanted _it, from _her_. **Now.**

That was it. He was giving her the _easy _option.

Rouge blinked, tilting her head.

"What is it, Shadow? Have you obtained the emerald?" came that echoing voice from behind the Ultimate Lifeform.

Something inaudible was mumbled, and Shadow stepped closer, unevenly spreading his feet as he stared at the female above.

She was a friend, thus, he still held some respect for her. Any temper he had, he had to withhold it a little.

"Rouge."

He pointed to the emerald, and then at the palm of his raised hand.

She stared at him blankly, unable to say anything.

"Now…" he let his left hand fall, and then clenched it. "Please."

Rouge narrowed her own eyes, disbelieving the hedgehog was siding with someone who obviously seemed evil, (Yeah, the deep voice was kind of a hint for her,). The hedgehog she knew, was the one that went by his own rules. That went by his own pursuits. That went by his own direction. That _didn't _follow orders.

To her, it sounded like he was a dog, fetching emeralds for the big bad. She didn't like to think that, since she knew he was better than that. A hundred times better. And even though she had no idea of the situation, she didn't want to hear a reason.

It wouldn't matter if this person was trying to, "save the world," or something. Getting Shadow into a mess like this involving stealing Chaos Emeralds normally wasn't good. It reminded her too much of Eggman's manipulation schemes, and she wasn't fond of them.

"Shadow…"

"Give me that," the ebony one said, barely able to keep his calm tone in check. "Rouge, give."

She stared at him hard, hurt in her tone, "Do I look like a dog to you, Shadow?"

He scarcely moved his eyes to the right, (somewhat nervously, the bat guessed, actually surprised,) and then back at her. "Please, Rouge. Give me it. I need it."

Before either one could respond, a purple, octopus creature emerged into the thief's view, sporting a big, bulging, orange eye.

And, of course, she recognized this creature.

He was the one responsible for the recent attacks on Westopolis. Aliens… he was like. He sent them down.

She remembered how it was described to her: flames burning everything, and yes, even everyone; guns shooting at the repulsive creatures and humans; children screaming as they were evacuated, being forced to leave their homes; people trapped under rubble, eaten alive by re-spawning black creatures; millions of casualties were still waging. She hated that description. She hated it so very much.

And she hated Shadow, right now, for doing what the wretched thing said.

She glared at the aforementioned creature, Black Doom's Eye.

"What…?" the eye looked at the light in her hands, and then to the charcoal one, comprehending the matter at hand. "Shadow… This is no time for making friends with the pathetic mortals… Get the Chaos Emerald. Now. That is your objective, is it not, traitor?"

The black one growled at the order, "I've been loyal this far, Doom. Don't push me, or I'll have to snap that straight line of loyalty in half."

'Loyal…?' Rouge was disgusted at that statement; '_Shadow isn't supposed to be loyal to anyone… not like that! In a way that he'd be ordered around! Told what to do…_'

She shook her head, feeling repugnance forming at the sight of the hedgehog. Her narrowed eyes shaped into a determined yet upset structure, as she spat at them both, uncaring as to whether it hit them or not.

"I'm sorry, Shadow," she began, coldly, and not sorry in the least, "but you'll have to get through me if you want this!" And with those words, Rouge turned heel, scrambling hurriedly down the vent before Shadow could say another word to her.

He eyeballed the hole in the ceiling, and then closed his eyes, grimacing, "And I'm sorry for what I'm about to do."

**s-S-s**

**Hey, guys.**

**I just wanted to do a small story to get my hands up and typing. ^^' I'm planning for this one to be short, 3 chapters at least.**

**I haven't written many Shadouge stories, (Or any at all… .) so, why not now? :3**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy what's to come and what's already here. **

**Any reviews would be greatly appreciated, just to know if someone's actually reading it. :d**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story; all characters go to SEGA.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Complications**

**Part 2 of 3**

_**Run.**_

Run.

That was all that was present in Rouge's mind as she heaved her body through the air vent; just run. Get away.

But part of her knew that was suicide itself.

G.U.N was as alert as ever since her theft, and Shadow hot on her tail didn't make anything a whole lot better.

Her azure eyes blinked dejectedly as she came to a halt, sitting on her knees and panting as she turned her head behind her, seeing the long, dark corridors of the air ventilation complex. Her eye ridges held an impaired structure, as they focused solely on the darkness.

'_**CHAOS VINCINITY BREACHED! CHAOS VINICNITY BREACHED! ALERT! ALERT!'**_

She ignored the insanely loud announcements, and shut her eyes a moment.

'_And I'm sorry for what I'm about to do.'_

Her eyes opened only a little, as those few words came to light.

What did Shadow mean by that? Was he really going to go with Doom's plan? And was he going to _hurt _HER? Was… was that what he meant?

She knew the hedgehog didn't care for past relationships most times, but hers…

Rouge had actually cared about him. More so than Omega, perhaps… or not?

Back a year ago, the bat girl had been musing over, possibly, the most important matter in her whole life… most of all, her social-life.

The androids.

Rouge hadn't yet thought about it, but she knew she was very concerned when she discovered the good Doctor's trove of, "treasure," which possessed thousands upon thousands of clones. Horrible, motionless clones. Clones that were so silent, so life-like, so… her-friend-like, that it scared her. She actually needed Omega's confirmation to make sure she wasn't hallucinating.

She found Shadow like _that_, earlier before. It was pure accident that she had released him, but she was kind of glad she did. If he dwelled in that place anymore, Chaos would know what'd happen to him. Or worse, what Eggman would do; that sort of power in his hands would be catastrophic. It actually wouldn't shock her if some of the clones were around to that day…

She frowned sympathetically, another thought coming to her mind.

Did… did Shadow still doubt himself? Did he doubt her? Did he doubt what she could do?

She stopped then.

It wouldn't matter what she could do; even Shadow knew that she'd hold back, because of that partner-ship of Team Dark during Metal's return. She easily claimed herself to be stupid as soon as she realized.

Her skills didn't matter here. What mattered here, was survival, and… her past, with the ebony hedgehog.

She seethed silently as that… that… alien creature came to mind.

It was obvious that outsider was using Shadow; it wasn't rocket science for her, though she knew Shadow wasn't that dense. Not as dense as the thick-headed echidna, that is…

But he'd lost everything.

Maria. Gerald. His memory. Maybe even his sanity.

It wouldn't surprise the thief if Shadow had even remembered that. From what she'd heard, his past was terrible, tragic; she actually felt disgust for G.U.N at that point.

She couldn't blame all of this on him, not when them lot were still around.

In fact, it wouldn't surprise her if that alien boss was taking advantage of Shadow's amnesia.

The female shook her head, grinding her teeth at the thought.

But what did Doom need the emeralds for? It… he, seemed so intent on getting them, whether or not they were in Shadow's friends' hands.

She puzzled herself over that for a few moments, then, rolled her eyes at the assumed answer.

It was obvious that the villain needed that power to take over the world, or something more glorifying, or some other, cliché goal.

But, still…

Shadow needed to know this.

A haunting thought made itself known in Rouge's brain.

…Or, did Shadow know what was gonna' happen? Was he collecting them on purpose? Like at the ARK incident?

**BOOM!**

Her head shot forwards, gasping as she witnessed a hole in front of her, and unique a spear of light fizzing as it was lodged into the ceiling.

And, down below, she saw the Ultimate Lifeform, Shadow the Hedgehog, in a stance and staring her down, with a Death-like look, the red lights flashing above making him more menacing.

"Rouge," he called, gritting his teeth as he raised his arm, "hand it over… Now."

The said creature leaned over the edge of the hole, her eyes narrowing as she spat, "Over my _dead_ body, Shads!"

He glared at her. "I didn't want to do this, Rouge…" he mumbled, his chin ruffling his chest fur as he raised it. "Trust me, I _didn't_… but, now… you have one, last chance before I do it!"

The batgirl felt like smiling at his stalling; it was obvious he didn't want to go through this. That action proved something to her, though…

Shadow wasn't as cold as he was made out to be.

She closed her eyes, remembering the fact that whatever Doom wanted with the emerald in her hand wasn't good. Batting played along her eyelashes as she opened her bright, blue orbs, her head shaking as she smiled. "I can't do that, hon."

Eyes widened as Shadow growled and prepared another hesitant Chaos Spear in his gloved hands.

The hedgehog's red orbs narrowed when he witnessed white fur disappear into the air vent.

"Damn it, Rouge!" he shouted out of frustration, turning heel to take after her, only to have his path obstructed by a platoon of armed soldiers.

And then, his gaze darkened, as a red aura began radiating about his charcoal fur.

**s-S-s**

Rouge pulled her body through the vent, her conscience determined as she saw a crack of brightness at the end of the corridor.

There's a light at the end of the tunnel.

'Thank Chaos!'

She gained speed, her knees aching as she neared the exit.

Not that she was one to complain, but she disliked crawling. Especially in dusty places like an air vent; they weren't good for her complexion, or her outfit, (had she been hot and bothered about it,).

The emerald glistened in her hands, as she stopped at the entrance to another room, kneeling as she pulled back her left leg, before thrusting it forwards. It slammed into the metal, and the dent was clearly shown as the female gave another, swift kick, this time, totally knocking the vent's door off its hinges and screws, leaving the metal trembling.

The bat slid through the gap, turning and grabbing the edge of the ledge before she could fall to the ground. She turned and looked below, seeing a short drop onto the floor, and upon instinct, she flicked her head about the room, scanning for any eyewitnesses or threats. After one final check, she dropped.

The moment her foot touched the ground, alarms wailed… even louder than before.

She screeched herself, her sensitive ears not able to ignore the high-pitched noise as it had done before, thus, she heaved her shaking hands on top of them, allowing less sound to enter.

**BANG! BANG! BANG, BANG, BANG!**

Her flinching ears heard gunshots, but she couldn't comprehend them well, as the irritating noise currently bugging her wouldn't leave.

The treasure hunter peered upwards, hands still clinging to her ears and wincing as she looked to a nearby speaker. She barely made out the object as it came into view, and the others as her gaze stumbled about the room. And, during her look about, she witnessed G.U.N agents filing into the room, surrounding her as she tried to pull herself up.

Fangs grinded as the batgirl stood.

Her hearing inceptors flicked uncontrollably as the sounds pierced her eardrums, silently begging the alarms to stop their raging noise wars.

Much to her surprise, the alarms soon grew quieter, to which, she repaired her stance.

"Agent Rouge, hand over the Chaos Emerald."

She knew it was too good to be true.

A determined yet snarky frown found its way onto her muzzle. "Sorry, bubs," she snuck a look about the soldiers, "but I don't like freeloaders."

Despite her cornering situation, she felt no threat.

She was one of G.U.N's best agents, so stuff like this wasn't exactly new to her.

The humans suddenly fired, no longer holding their hostility as they had done before.

Ignoring the slight ringing in her ears, the bat maneuvered to evade the bullets, her feet elegantly shifting about the room like the master thief she was.

She glanced to her left, her cobalt irises holding a determined glint as she saw another open, yet blocked, entrance.

'Ah, ha~!'

She gave a puckish smirk, and showed it to the G.U.N agents around her, before bringing out her inner make-shift of topples and turns, forcing her body to fly over the unsuspecting men. Within moments, they blindly shot at her, all of their ammunition wasted on nothing as she dodged each and every one of the sharp shells… excluding one.

She gave a scarce whimper as one of them hit one of her many sources of balance.

One of her wings awkwardly tipped, having a puncture within its delicate yet important makeup.

She grimaced, growling, infuriated, as she gave a scowl. "All right, this girl's had enough!"

The moment she touched the other end of the flip, the bat leapt, prepped her feet, and screw-kicked the man blocking the door, disregarding his intimidating gun and intentionally knocking him down to allow him to grunt in pain.

She paid no heed to the followers as she took off down the pathway ahead, her wing aching every time she took a step; she couldn't keep it completely still, as it seemed flabbier than before, (she hadn't noticed this much in the past,) easier to flop about.

The platoon of agents outnumbered her by a dozen, yes, but she knew something.

There's no strength in numbers.

She sped up, her feet clattering loudly on the floor and alerting nearby soldiers of her location as she panted. As she neared a cross-section, she veered right, trusting her own instincts by assuming the other was a dead end.

She'd been in places like this many times, so maps weren't really needed; the Guardian Units of Nations tended to have the same structures about their bases, possibly to allow newbie agents to navigate more swiftly, but something told Rouge it was something else, though she couldn't place it. She assumed they were a bit tacky with this motion, but she knew the military weren't _that _thick.

Paying no attention to that question, the batgirl flashed a glance behind, seeing her pursuers as persistent as she was to escape. Her scowl transformed into a frustrated one, and she jumped, grabbing a pipe and bringing herself upwards on top of it. Giving no hesitation, she leapt, grunted, and surged towards the men, her feet in a screw shape. It hit the ground, causing some of the beings to retreat as a vibration spread along the ground. Wing-ache was suddenly present again, and she winced.

She wasn't trying to hurt them.

Oh, no.

She was warning them; telling them to back off, before this girl blew her top.

She whirled around, her gaze shooting ahead as she took off again, a drop of sweat falling down her face as she did so.

And, before she knew it, she entered another, square room, which was metal and cold, like many of the other rooms, and she came to a steady halt when she witnessed another squad of armed forces ahead of her. To her dismay, they blocked the other door.

'Jeez, these guys really want this emerald, huh?'

It was now that she stood there, trapped again by another circle of men around her, ones bearing rocket launchers, machine guns and pistols.

'Wow… Talk about good weapon investment…' she thought, her gloved hands clenched as she carefully twirled to check every bit of rim about the ring.

"Hand over the Chaos Emerald, Agent Rouge. Otherwise, we will have to take it through force."

The batgirl snidely thought, 'Like Hell I will…'

One of the uniformed mortals stepped forward, his hand outwards as he reached for the sacred gem in the girl's hand.

Big mistake.

The moment he neared her precious treasure, Rouge jumped, flicked out her leg, and brought the inferior being down with one kick.

And, shortly after that, everyone neared, on their toes after an ally had been brutally attacked. They all aimed at her, ready to fire at any precise second.

The crimson emerald flickered slightly in her hand, its red rays almost blinding the soldiers as they tried to aim.

The bat's eyes widened as it grew brighter, and she had to shield her eyes with one arm as she gripped it firmly in the other's hand.

"…**CONTROL!"**

The light vanished, and the albino found she could see again. Only… shock altered her features when she removed her arm from her eyesight.

A black hedgehog stood there, holding red streaks and those same, blood red orbs that had stared into hers earlier. In his hand, Rouge saw a green emerald, and she mentally face-palmed.

How on Earth would she get away if he had _that_?

The newcomer looked about the room, in a defensive stance as he witnessed several weapons pointed at his and her being.

"Shadow…" Rouge trailed, stepping forward reluctantly as she silently begged for help.

"DON'T MOVE!"

Before anyone could register what happened, a gun shot from a nearby pistol, its bullet rushing through the air and striking the female's leg.

"AGHH! You _little_…!"

She screeched silently as she fell to the ground, and the ebony one's stare moved to her like a rocket. The unholy whimpering and screeching got caught in his ears, and he watched her for a moment, seeing her trying to pull herself up.

"Rouge, don't move."

She stopped, and looked up at him, with big, puzzled, aquamarine eyes.

Did… did he care?

'Fine…' he started, accepting Rouge's silent plead. 'These humans need to be taught a lesson, anyway…'

The black hedgehog folded his arms, smirking slightly at the ring of humans around him, which held silent conversations about the life form that was in front of them.

"Any last words, you pathetic humans?" he asked, tilting his head to feign interest. "I'd choose wisely, because it will be the last set of words you'll ever speak."

A silence passed, and the circle remained.

Three seconds…

Rouge blinked at Shadow, wondering what the hell he was planning to do.

Two seconds…

What was he waiting for?

One second…

"**Men… FIRE!"**

The Ultimate Life form snorted as he unfolded his arms, his emerald raised and glowing as he uttered four words, "Oh, you stupid humans..."

**s-S-s**

**Phew… this took a while. Well, not to worry! The next part is only a few, dozen words away! How that helps me, I have no idea…**

**Anyways, I'd like to thank people for the reviews:**

**Elegant Solace, alwaysdoubted, and Arlene…**

**Many thanks! These reviews… they keep meh going! :D**

**Adios~!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters depicted in this story; all characters go to SEGA.**


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